Wanting a non-reference 980 Ti

jyi786

Supreme [H]ardness
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Jun 13, 2002
Messages
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My vacation is coming up. I have loads of games to play. 6+ or so that I've saved over the course of a year. I wanted to also buy a video card, since my GTX 570 is getting real long in the tooth. I was going to get the GTX 980...then nVidia complicated things and released the GTX 980 Ti. :D

That being said, I'd like to get one that:

1. Is NOT EVGA (I loved EVGA but all this talk of coil whine from this and the last generation has turned me completely off to them)
2. Is non-reference
3. Is the quietest (no coil whine and just silent)

Are we stuck with reference for now? And how about Asus?

Thanks!
 
If you can rough it through your vacation I would wait for the ASUS STRIX DirectCU III version that is supposed to come out soonish. The details that came out on how cool and quiet it runs at Computex is very promising. It was supposed to launch this month, but I guess it's coming in two moar weeks :p.
 
MSI and Corsair will be making a hybrid card with an AIO cooler that should be pretty quiet. I believe it is coming in August if you can hold out that long.
 
What about MSI 6G Gaming? Don't know about it's aviability/pricing in States, but in here it's in reference pricing, and mine will ship tomorrow :)
 
I'm waiting for the Zotac GTX 980 Ti AMP Extreme , Ships with a massive 25% factory-overclock.
The card comes with 1253 MHz core (vs. 1000 MHz reference), 1335 MHz GPU Boost (vs. 1076 MHz reference), and 7210 MHz memory (vs. 7012 MHz reference). The card is cooled by a meaty triple-slot IceStorm air-based cooler by ZOTAC; and a VRM that draws power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors keep the card fed. ZOTAC could ask a $100 premium over the base price of $649, offering performance which, we reckon, could be much higher than that of the $999 GTX TITAN X.]
 
...until you overclock the Titan X. Clock-for-clock, the Titan X is still 3-5% faster than the 980 Ti. I run my T-X at 1327 base/1429 Boost on the core and 8000 on the memory.
 
What about MSI 6G Gaming? Don't know about it's aviability/pricing in States, but in here it's in reference pricing, and mine will ship tomorrow :)

I've already read some reports about coil whine, and I personally don't really trust MSI cards. I've had 2 fail on me in the past. It was really all about EVGA until this and last generation with the coil whine, which is completely unacceptable to me. It literally drives me insane. So Asus it is.

...until you overclock the Titan X. Clock-for-clock, the Titan X is still 3-5% faster than the 980 Ti. I run my T-X at 1327 base/1429 Boost on the core and 8000 on the memory.

Unfortunately, don't want to spend that kind of moolah right now. 980 Ti is really my ultra max; I even thought the 980 GTX was too much.
 
...until you overclock the Titan X. Clock-for-clock, the Titan X is still 3-5% faster than the 980 Ti. I run my T-X at 1327 base/1429 Boost on the core and 8000 on the memory.

With Titan X being reference only custom 980Ti cards may overclock much higher. People are getting 1500 on stock 980Ti cards.
 
Sorry but hardly anyone can even get close to 1500 "stable" on reference 980 Ti.

My two cards run fine at 1400 and 7300 with no voltage increases.

I have just finished getting water blocks on, so we'll see.

I don't see why 1500 cant be reached.:D
 
I don't think 1500 is unattainable, but 1400 is already going to be bouncing around 105-110% power usage. Many cards will need voltage to get over 1400, when power headroom is <5%. You really need a custom BIOS or a card with a custom PCB to boost to 1500 consistently.
 
My two cards run fine at 1400 and 7300 with no voltage increases.

I have just finished getting water blocks on, so we'll see.

I don't see why 1500 cant be reached.:D
1400 max boost is nothing and most can easily do that. 1500 is a whole other story (on air).
 
As far as I am aware, the only 2 quiet cards are from Gigabyte and EVGA.
The EVGAs with the ACX 2.0 cooler and the Gigabyte G1.
You cant get hold of either in the UK atm.

I placed a pre order for the wrong card and had to cancel.
Now there is nothing that isnt loud.
I'll wait a while with a 980 to tide me over.

Wont touch Asus with a bargepole, their customer service is the pits.
They have already stiffed me, their loss now :p
 
As far as I am aware, the only 2 quiet cards are from Gigabyte and EVGA.
The EVGAs with the ACX 2.0 cooler and the Gigabyte G1.
You cant get hold of either in the UK atm.

I placed a pre order for the wrong card and had to cancel.
Now there is nothing that isnt loud.
I'll wait a while with a 980 to tide me over.

Wont touch Asus with a bargepole, their customer service is the pits.
They have already stiffed me, their loss now :p

A lot of people are complaining about coil whine with their Gigabyte G1 Gaming 980 tis so I definitely wouldn't say that those cards are quiet.
 
A lot of people are complaining about coil whine with their Gigabyte G1 Gaming 980 tis so I definitely wouldn't say that those cards are quiet.

Op complained about coil whine from EVGA.
Looks like its brand agnostic.
 
Op complained about coil whine from EVGA.
Looks like its brand agnostic.

Only because everything is pretty much using the reference design, no? I can't imagine the one that Kyle used in the review had this issue. Also, the Asus GTX 980 Strix didn't have this issue.
 
Only because everything is pretty much using the reference design, no? I can't imagine the one that Kyle used in the review had this issue. Also, the Asus GTX 980 Strix didn't have this issue.

You make it sound like you know what you are saying when you dont.
His opinion is worth something to him.
You could ask him rather than make assumptions.
 
You make it sound like you know what you are saying when you dont.
His opinion is worth something to him.
You could ask him rather than make assumptions.

:confused: You completely lost me there, chief.
 
Sorry but hardly anyone can even get close to 1500 "stable" on reference 980 Ti.

1452-1477 on reference
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/nvidia_geforce_gtx_980_ti_review,36.htmlc

over 1400
NVIDIA let us know that GPU Boost clock speeds of over 1400MHz were almost the expectation with GM200, and so far this has proven to be true. With those kinds of clock speeds there is no point moving up to GTX Titan X since the GTX 980 Ti easily outperform a stock or mildly overclocked GTX Titan X.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/nvidia_geforce_gtx_980_ti/17.htm

Maximum overclock of our sample is +260 MHz to the GPU's base clock (26% overclock), which results in a maximum boost clock of 1437 MHz on the GPU and 2070 MHz on the memory (18% overclock).
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_980_Ti/34.html


I guess I got reference clocks confused with the fancy AIB cards. This guy got 1500 on air
with the MSI GTX980Ti GAMING 6G
https://youtu.be/4iORNWrgty4?t=438

1529 on air with the Gigabyte GTX980Ti G1 Gaming
https://youtu.be/B2-gCXscH04?t=389c

I am right that the 980Ti will overclock better than a Titan X, it just takes non-reference cards.
 
Our new and improved HOF edition will be shipping in a week and a half.

http://galaxstore.net/GALAX-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-980-Ti-HOF-6GB_p_82.html

Especially the LN2 version, current 3dmark world record holder in the 980 Ti category. Ridiculous 960 amp capacity on the power system. Even includes consultation with R&D if you need it. Surprised there's still some left as there's only going to be 10 available in North America; ever.

http://galaxstore.net/GALAX-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-980-Ti-HOF-LN2-Edition-6GB_p_83.html

No reviews to share yet but these cards are looking pretty beastly.
 
:confused: You completely lost me there, chief.

Really sorry, I didnt notice you are the op.
Not much point telling you to ask yourself :)

Coil whine is a tricky beast to pin down.
Its not a particular build of a card that makes it prone, its the coils themselves vibrating when operating at certain frequencies.

There could be a bad batch of coils which can pop up on any card.
Or coils which have worked fine with everything else that are subjected to new conditions that bring out the problem on cards with particular GPUs.
If the part of the coil vibrating is not in its centre, a bit of nail varnish applied to it can sometimes cure it.


I've placed an order for the EVGA SC+ card and will let you know if it is ok.
I havent heard of any reviews mentioning coil whine so I'm hopeful.
 
That being said, I'd like to get one that:

1. Is NOT EVGA (I loved EVGA but all this talk of coil whine from this and the last generation has turned me completely off to them)
Thanks!
Meh... been running my EVGA 980 Ti SC+ ACX 2.0+ for over two weeks. No coil whine or any unusual noises and performs spectacularly even while gaming at 4K.
 
Really sorry, I didnt notice you are the op.
Not much point telling you to ask yourself :)

I've placed an order for the EVGA SC+ card and will let you know if it is ok.
I havent heard of any reviews mentioning coil whine so I'm hopeful.

haha, no worries bro.

And do please let me know how it goes. Very interested, since there is another thread with people complaining about the coil whine specifically with the EVGAs.
 
haha, no worries bro.

And do please let me know how it goes. Very interested, since there is another thread with people complaining about the coil whine specifically with the EVGAs.

There's also complaints about the Gigabyte G1 having coil whine (mine did also, just sent it back). It's really luck of the draw no matter which brand. I really don't understand how they cannot get that fixed considering it's probably one of the biggest reasons for returns.
 
There's also complaints about the Gigabyte G1 having coil whine (mine did also, just sent it back). It's really luck of the draw no matter which brand. I really don't understand how they cannot get that fixed considering it's probably one of the biggest reasons for returns.

Yeah, that's true. I mentioned that earlier in this thread (I think).

However, I remember quite clearly when this same scenario presented itself with the previous generation (GTX 980), pretty much the only manufacturer brand to alleviate it completely was Asus with the STRIX line. That's why I was looking to that as the card to get.
 
The problem with Asus is that should you have a fault, be it coil whine or something else, you enter their lottery of customer support.
When you send a new card to them, they send you someone elses return or your old card, you dont get a new card.
Thats assuming you get support.

Some faults are not covered by their warranty.
If the card burns itself anywhere, good luck.
 
The problem with Asus is that should you have a fault, be it coil whine or something else, you enter their lottery of customer support.
When you send a new card to them, they send you someone elses return or your old card, you dont get a new card.
Thats assuming you get support.

Some faults are not covered by their warranty.
If the card burns itself anywhere, good luck.

Wow has Asus changed. They used to be the epitome of awesomeness all around. :(

Now, I'm looking at the MSI card. Seems to be the best out of the bunch so far.
 
Yes unfortunately.

Check how loud the MSI card is if that matters to you.
Can you go into what it is you like about the MSI, I havent researched it much, cheers.

I ended up choosing the EVGA SC+ ACX 2.0+ because it is extremely quiet even with fan above 70% and completely silent at idle.
It has a backplate to keep it straight.
Overclocks in reviews so far have been around 1400 to 1450MHz, good enough for a hope at getting 1500MHz :p
Its surprisingly well priced, £550 on Amazon UK, no more than the basic cards and cheaper than most aftermarkets.
fyi
 
Actually MSI's 980ti has a backplate, their 970/980 Gaming 4G initially didn't (which I am thankful for).
 
There's also complaints about the Gigabyte G1 having coil whine (mine did also, just sent it back). It's really luck of the draw no matter which brand. I really don't understand how they cannot get that fixed considering it's probably one of the biggest reasons for returns.
They don't fix it because nothing is wrong with the card.

Let's reiterate:
Coil whine occurs when energy going through the coils hits a resonant frequency and the wire begins to audibly vibrate. Energy going through the coil is wildly variable so it is likely that every coil will whine to some degree. >=99% of the time it's not enough to notice.

Resonant frequencies are natural, inherent properties of physical objects and structures. EVERYTHING has a resonant frequency. Nobody messed up on the design. There is no way I know of to know before hand that a circuit might produce audible coil whine at a specific load type.

When a coil whines there is absolutely no performance or reliability degradation on your cards, it's a byproduct of operation.

If a barely audible noise bothers someone so much that they'll go on the internet and bitch like Suzy-Q about how terrible and defective a product it is, without even understanding the "problem," here's a solution. Find all inductor coils on your card, pop the caps off the sealed ones if you can. Put some hot glue, silicone, or epoxy along the wires to dampen them. There. They can't vibrate anymore.
 
They don't fix it because nothing is wrong with the card.

Let's reiterate:
Coil whine occurs when energy going through the coils hits a resonant frequency and the wire begins to audibly vibrate. Energy going through the coil is wildly variable so it is likely that every coil will whine to some degree. >=99% of the time it's not enough to notice.

Resonant frequencies are natural, inherent properties of physical objects and structures. EVERYTHING has a resonant frequency. Nobody messed up on the design. There is no way I know of to know before hand that a circuit might produce audible coil whine at a specific load type.

When a coil whines there is absolutely no performance or reliability degradation on your cards, it's a byproduct of operation.

If a barely audible noise bothers someone so much that they'll go on the internet and bitch like Suzy-Q about how terrible and defective a product it is, without even understanding the "problem," here's a solution. Find all inductor coils on your card, pop the caps off the sealed ones if you can. Put some hot glue, silicone, or epoxy along the wires to dampen them. There. They can't vibrate anymore.


Or..... spend your hard earned money on a product that doesn't have coil wine.
 
Or..... spend your hard earned money on a product that doesn't have coil wine.
I understand as a consumer it may be kind of annoying that products make some unwelcome noise.

On the flipside, most every time I've seen anyone bring it up it's been so damn quiet you have to turn everything else off in the room to get the room as quiet as possible to even hear it. You'd probably not notice it anymore after a few minutes if you were focusing on what you should actually be focused on, eg. playing the game.

A lot of geeks sure love their hyperbole- except they forget the part of the definition where it's sarcastic.
An inconsequential, footnote of a product issue becomes a huge, deal breaking, company boycotting, colossal debacle on the forums that costs (arguably wastes) both yours and the retailer's/company's time and money. Some times I really think the "PC master race" needs to put on their big boy shoes and suck it up, some of the deal breaking issues that get brought up- who cares?

It's also likely that if one card has occasional coil whine, your replacement will, as will all the other versions of the same pcb on the market.
 
I understand as a consumer it may be kind of annoying that products make some unwelcome noise.

On the flipside, most every time I've seen anyone bring it up it's been so damn quiet you have to turn everything else off in the room to get the room as quiet as possible to even hear it. You'd probably not notice it anymore after a few minutes if you were focusing on what you should actually be focused on, eg. playing the game.

A lot of geeks sure love their hyperbole- except they forget the part of the definition where it's sarcastic.
An inconsequential, footnote of a product issue becomes a huge, deal breaking, company boycotting, colossal debacle on the forums that costs (arguably wastes) both yours and the retailer's/company's time and money.

It's also likely that if one card has occasional coil whine, your replacement will, as will all the other versions of the same pcb on the market.


Your in the WRONG hobby if you can't handle drama
 
It's also likely that if one card has occasional coil whine, your replacement will, as will all the other versions of the same pcb on the market.

Wrong.

I had an Asus P5B Deluxe back 7-8 years ago. The first one that I bought came with horrendous coil whine. I sent it back, had Newegg replace it, and the new one was SILENT.

There is no reason to accept a substandard product that has coil whine, particularly NOT if we are spending our hard earned cash on a flagship product like the GTX 980 Ti.
 
Just put my order in for the MSI 6G version. :D

I'll let you guys know how it goes.
 
Wrong.

I had an Asus P5B Deluxe back 7-8 years ago. The first one that I bought came with horrendous coil whine. I sent it back, had Newegg replace it, and the new one was SILENT.

There is no reason to accept a substandard product that has coil whine, particularly NOT if we are spending our hard earned cash on a flagship product like the GTX 980 Ti.

^^^^ This.
 
Nice, looking forward to it.
There isnt much review material out there on that card.
 
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